Essex Property Trust, Inc. vs KKR & Co Inc — how do they compare? Essex Property Trust, Inc. trades at $280.36 (market cap $18.15B), while KKR & Co Inc trades at $109.9 (market cap $99.61B). The key difference: KKR & Co Inc is far larger — about 5.5× Essex Property Trust, Inc.'s market cap, and Essex Property Trust, Inc. pays the higher dividend (3.93%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ESS | KKR | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $18.15B | $99.61B |
Sector | Real Estate | Financials |
52-Week High | $298.33 | $149.34 |
52-Week Low | $239.61 | $83.88 |
Enterprise Value | $24.75B | $22.17B |
Dividend Yield | 3.93% | 0.7% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ESS trades at $282.11, down 0.39% on the day, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages and oscillators. The company reported Q2 2026 EPS of $0.97, missing expectations, but raised full-year guidance after strong property NOI growth. Revenue reached $1.89B in 2025 with a net income margin of 35.48%, though profitability is trending lower in 2026. Recent news includes ESS being named a top GreenTech company and signing a 500 MWh energy storage agreement with Juniper Energy.
The outlook is mixed: raised guidance and institutional buying support upside, but technical weakness and earnings miss pose near-term risks. Valuation ratios like P/E of 19.9 and P/S of 9.05 are reasonable for a REIT, yet debt levels and regional market volatility require caution. Analyst consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $305.86 price target, suggesting 8.4% potential upside from current levels.
KKR trades at $103.83, up 0.99% with strong bullish momentum. The stock shows robust earnings performance with Q2 2026 EPS of $1.63 beating estimates of $1.43, continuing a trend of positive surprises. Recent acquisitions including Integer Holdings ($4.3B) and Medicover India ($1.39B) demonstrate aggressive growth strategy. Analyst consensus remains overwhelmingly bullish with 24 buy ratings and $127.22 price target, representing 22.5% upside potential from current levels.
KKR presents compelling investment opportunity with strong fundamentals, consistent earnings beats, and strategic acquisitions driving growth. Key risks include integration challenges from recent deals, market volatility affecting asset management fees, and potential regulatory scrutiny of private equity operations. The company's $19.2B infrastructure fund closure signals strong institutional confidence in long-term strategy.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Essex Property Trust owns a portfolio of 253 apartment communities with over 62,000 units and is developing three additional properties with 571 units. The company focuses on owning large, high-quality properties on the West Coast in the urban and suburban submarkets of Southern California, Northern California, and Seattle.
Read more on ESS →KKR is one of the world's largest alternative asset managers, with $490.7 billion in total assets under management, including $384.5 billion in fee-earning AUM, at the end of June 2022. The company has two core segments: asset management (which includes private markets--private equity, credit, infrastructure, energy and real estate--and public markets--primarily credit and hedge/investment fund platforms) and insurance (following the February 2021 purchase of a 61.5% economic stake in Global Atlantic Financial Group, which is engaged in retirement/annuity and life insurance lines as well as reinsurance). On the asset management side, private markets account for 50% of fee-earning AUM and 70% of base management fees, while public markets account for 50% and 30%, respectively.
Read more on KKR →